Variable-speed gearing.



G. EATON.

VARIABLE SPEED GEARING.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 23, I9I5- 1,223,62.

Patented Apr. 24, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

G. EATON.

VARIABLE SPEED GEARING.

APPLICATION man our. 23, I915.

1,223,862, Patented Apr. 24,1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

G. EATON.

VARIABLE SPEED GEARING.

APPLICATION FILED 0cr.23.1915.

Patented Apr. 24, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

GEORGE EATON, OF BALTIMORE, IVIARYLAND.

VARIABLE-SPEED GEABING.

Application filed October 23, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnonsn EATON, a subject of the King of England, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Variable-Speed Gearing, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved variable-speed gearing, and has for its object to provide improved means to enable changes of speed to be efiected without disengaging the gears with respect to each other thereby maintaining the gears in mesh at all times and avoiding sudden strains on the gear teeth which follow the engagement and disengagement of the gears.

A further object of the invention is to pro vide improved means for effecting connections between the driving means and the gears and to also provide a single operating device to control the said connections.

With these and other objects in View the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein,

Figure 1, shows a vertical longitudinal section through the ear-operating shaft and illustrates the means for eiiecting a connection between said shaft and the respective gears thereon.

Fig. 2, illustrates the rods and lever means for operating the respective gear means.

Fig. 3, shows a cross-sectional detail through the operating shaft,the section being taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 1, illustrates the improved gearing and easing therefor as the same appears in top plan.

Fig. 5, shows the same in end elevation.

Fig. 6, illustrates in cross-section a detail through the gear-operating shaft,the section being taken on the line 66 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 7, shows a vertical sectional detail through the casing in which the operating levers are located.

Fig. 8, shows in top plan the casing and the upper ends of the operating levers inclosed thereby and also shows the single operating device in the operated position.

Fig. 9, illustrates the slotted plate which covers the upper end of the lever casing.

Fig. 10, shows an edge View of the same, and

Fig. 11, illustrates a sectional detail Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 2%, 1&1?

Serial No. 57,408.

through the operating knob and one of the casing slots,the section being taken on the line 1111 of Fig. 7.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, 12, designates the driving shaft which enters the gear casing 18, and is provided with a pinion 14, on its end which meshes with and constantly drives a gear 15, on the variablegear shaft- 16. This gear shaft 16, is formed in two sections or halves and each section or half has a longitudinally-extending chamber 17, and a series of radial openings or slots 18, that extend from the said chamber to the circumference of the shaft 16.

In the )ICS'Jllt instance the gear shaft 16, carries live gears which are designated 19, Q0, 21, E22 and 23, all of which are normally loose on said shaft.

Each of these gears has position on the shaft 16, to encircle those slots 18, that are in the same vertical crosswise plane of the shaft, and a collar 24:, encircles the shaft between adjacent gears to keep the same space from each other.

Each gear is provided at its inner circumference with one or more notches 25, for a purpose presently to he explained.

From the foregoing explanation it will be understood that when the two halves of the shaft 16, are together they will be encircled by all the gears and the spacing collars and the central chamber 17, will extend lengthwise of the shaft and will be provided with slots or openings 18, at the inner circumference of each gear. In the present instance two slots or openings 18, are provided from the shaft to the inner side or circumference of each gear, and the connections between the gears and the shaft 16, are located at said slots, as will now be described.

A dog or pawl 26, is pivotally mounted at each slot or opening 18, in the shaft 16,- the pivot being formed by a pin 27, that extends through the two halves of the shaft, as clearly shown in broken lines in Fig. 3, of the drawing. Each dog or pawl has a rounded end 28, that normally lies in the slot or opening 18, so as to clear the notch 25, in the gear with which it is designed to coact, thus normally leaving the gear free on the shaft.

Adjacent to the pivot however, each pawl or dog has two cam edges or surfaces 29 and 30,the former to be engaged to hold the dog normally disengaged from the gear and the latter to be engaged to throw the dog into engagement with the gear.

The pawls or dogs are also provided with a straight edge 31, which will coact with stop shoulders 32 or 33, adjacent thereto whereby to limit the movement of the dogs in either direction. The dogs or pawls are of such width to enable them to readily enter the notches 25, in the gears.

It will thus be understood that all of the gears and the dogs to engage them are of a like construction and that normally the gears are all loose on the shaft 16, and are only made fast therewith when the dogs to engage any one of the gears are thrown out wardly into engagement with the particular gear desired.

In the present instance the gear 19, is utilized as the reverse, while gears 20, 21, 22 and 23, are utilized to vary the speed in the advance or forward operation, as will now be explained.

Extending longitudinally into the central shaft chamber 17, are a series of operating bars 34, 35, 36, 37 and 38. The bar 35, is tubular and slides on the bar 34; the bar 36, slides on bar 35; bar 37, slides on bar 36 and bar 38, slides on bar 37. These bars vary in length from the bar 34, which is longest, to the bar 38, which is shortest and the outer end of each bar has a grooved head 39, with which a coupling member 40, may be engaged so that actuating rods may be connected therewith, as will presently be explained.

The inner end of tubular bar 38, terminates adjacent to the dogs 26, that are to coact with the reverse gear 19, and said bar-end carries a circular disk or head 41, which in the present instance is shown engaged with the cam surfaces 30, of the dogs 26, so as to swing the rounded ends 28, of those dogs outwardly into engagement with the notches 25, in the reverse gear 19, and thus couple said reverse gear with and drive it from the gear-shaft 16. It will thus be seen that by sliding or pushing bar 38, inwardly on bar 37 the disk or head 41, at the inner end of said bar 38, will engage surfaces 29, of the dogs 26, and swing the rounded ends 28, of said dogs inwardly into the slots or openings 18, and thereby retract them from the notches 25, of gear 19.

In a like manner bar 37, carries a head 42, to operate the dogs that coact with gear 20; bar 36, has a head 43, to operate the dogs that engage gear 21; bar 35, has a head 44, which operates the dogs that engage gear 22, and bar 34, carries a head 45, which operates the dogs that engage gear 23.

It will thus be understood that to engage any one of the gears with the shaft 16, the particular bar having the disk or head to operate the dogs for that gear will be drawn outwardly thereby swinging the dogs outwardly as the shaft revolves and when those dogs come into register with the notches 25,

' in the gear they will. enter the latter and revolve said gear with the shaft. 7

By referring to Figs. 4 and 5, of the drawing it will be noted that a driven shaft 46, is sustained in the gear casing 13, and is provided with a series of gears 47, 4.8, 49, 50 and 51. These gears are all fast to the shaft 46, and revolve with the latter. Gear 48, is in continuous mesh with gear 20, on the shaft 16; gear 49, is in continuous mesh with gear 2'1; gear 50 is always in mesh with gear 22, and gear 51, is in continuous mesh with gear 23.

By referring to Fig. it will be seen that gear 19, on shaft 16, meshes with, and when in operation, drives a pinion 52, on a short shaft 53, in the lower part of the casing 13, and pinion is in constant mesh with gear 47, on the driven shaft, therefore when gear 19, is engagedwith shaft 16. as shown in Fig 1, said latter gear will. drive pinion 52, and said pinion will drive gear 47, in the same direction as shaft 16. On the other hand, ifany one of the other gears 20 to 23, is revolved with shaft 16, it will operate that gear on driven shaft 46, with which it engages so as to revolve said shaft 46, in a direction reverse to that in which shaft 16, is revolved.

Vvhile various means may be employed to actuate the bars 34 to 38, inclusive I employ a separate rod 54, for each bar,-each rod having its inner end connected to the coupling member 40, at the outer end of the bar, as shown in Fig. 2. The outer end of each rod is connected to the lower end of a rock lever 55, so there will be as many rock levers as there are rods, bars and gears, and each rock lever will control one gear only.

The upper or operating ends 56, of the rock lovers are preferably inclosed by a casing 57, having a series of slots 58, 59,

60, 61 and 62 at the upper end thereof.

A cross-slot 63, is provided at one end of each slot so as to connect said slot with the slot neXt to it as shown. in Fig. 8, and the extreme upper end of each rock lever has a slotted head 64. In the neutral or normal position each head 64, of the rock levers will have position at one end of the slot so that when the engine is idle all said heads will be in alinement. In Fig. 8, four of the heads are shown in alinernent, while the fifth is that of the reverse lever and has been moved out of alinement with the other heads to correspond with the position of the @ne of the features of my invention is to provide a single operating means for the several roclr levers and to so arrange the same that only one rock lever may be moved to the operating position at a time, and to further provide means whereby any lever that is in the operating position must be returned to the neutral position before another lever can be operated.

This is accomplished by the means shown in Figs. to 11 inclusive, to which particular attention is now lirected.

On top of the slotted casing I secure a plate 65, having slots corresponding to the slots 58 to 63 inclusive in the casing 07, and one side of each slot being provided with rack or toothed edge 66.

[in operating knob 67, has a stem 68, depending therefrom which projects down through the plate 65. A pawl 69, is also provided on the knob and projects therefrom so as to engage th toothed edge 66, of the slot in which it may be located.

The slots in the heads 64, extend in a crosswise direction and when the levers ar all in the neutral position these slots will be in alinement with the cross-slots 63 in the easing. The depending stem 68, of the operating knob and the slots in the lever heads 6%, are of like shape so that said stern may be moved from one lever to another by pressing through the cross slots 63, but cannot be disengaged from one lever until that lever is moved to the neutral position.

It will thus be seen that when the knob 67, is in the position shown in Figs. 7 and 8, in slot 58, the lever 55 for that rod 54, which connects with bar 38, will be rocked so as to draw said bar outwardly and thereby engage the dogs 26, with gear 19, so as to reverse the direction of the driven shaft 4-6. If however it is desired to operate the lever in slot 59, and thus connect gear 20, with the shaft 16, it will be necessary to first return the lever in slot 58, to the neutral position because the knob cannot be disengaged therefrom until the knob stem 68, is broughtinto register with the cross-slot 63, that communicates with the slot 59, in which the lever for operating said gear 20, is located. If then it be desired to increase the speed, the lever in slot 59, must be returned to the neutral position so the knob stem can be passed through the next cross-slot 63, and engaged with the lever in slot 60.

Therefore it will be understood that all danger of throwing more than one gear into operation at a time is entirely prevented because before changing from one speed to another the lever or the gear then in operation must be first moved to release that gear before another gear can be thrown into operation.

For convenience the head 67 is provided with a push button 70, which projects therefrom and by means of which the pawl 69, may be readily actuated.

Having described my invention, what I claim is,-

1. In a variable-speed gearing the combination with a driving shaft, of a driven shaft disconnected with respect to the driving shaft; a plurality of gears fixed on the driven shaft; a gear shaft having a plurality of gears normally loose thereon and each of said latter gears having continuous engagement with a gear on the driven shaft; a separate and independently movable engaging means on the interior of the gear shaft for each gear carried thereby; a sepa rate reciprocating means in said gear shaft for each engaging means therein and means for rotating said gear shaft continuously rem the driving shaft.

2. In a variable-speed gearing the combination with a driving shaft, of a driven shaft disconnected from the driving shaft; a plurality of gears fixed on the driven shaft; a gear shaft having a longitudinal chamber therein and a series of alined but disconnected openings on the circumference thereof; engaging devices mounted in the gear shaft at each of said openings; a gear loosely carried on the gear shaft around each of said openings; a separate and independently movable actuating means in the gear shaft for each gear-engaging means and means for rotating said gear shaft continuously from the driving shaft.

3. in a variable-speed gearing the combination with a driving shaft, of a driven shaft; a plurality of gears fixed on said driven shaft; agear shaft having a longitudinal chamber and a series of alined but separated openings from the chamber to the circumference thereof; independently movable dogs pivotally mounted at each of said openings; a separate and independent reciprocating bar movable longitudinally in the chamber for each set of dogs; a separate gear on the gear shaft for and around each set of openings and means for rotating the gear shaft continuously from the driving shaft.

4. In a variable-speed gearing the combination with a driving shaft, of a driven shaft; a plurality of gears fixed on said driven shaft; a gear shaft having a longitudinal chamber and a series of openings from the chamber to the circumference thereof, said openings being arranged in sets; a series of separate and independently movable reciprocating bars in the gear shaft,-said bars telescoping each other and being of different lengths and each bar terminating adjacent to a set of openings in the gear shaft; independently movable dogs mounted in the openings of the gear shaft; means on each bar for operating one set of dogs only; a gear around the gear shaft continuously from the driving shaft.

5. In a variable-speed gearing the combination with a driving shaft, of a driven shaft; 'a plurality of gears fixed on the driven shaft; a gear shaft having a plurality of gears that are normally loose thereon and each of said latter gears having constant engagement with a gear on the driven shaft; a separate and independently movable engaging means carried by the gear shaft for each gear thereon; a separate and independent operating means for each engaging means; an actuating means for all the independent operating means and means to prevent the actuating means moving an operating means While another operating means is in the operated position.

6. In a variable-speed gearing the combination with a driving shaft, of a driven shat; a plurality of gears fixed on the driven shaft; a gear shaft having a plurality of gears that are normally loose thereon and each of said latter gears having constant en gagement with a gear on the driven shaft; a separate and independent engaging means carried by the gear shaft for each gear thereon; a separate and independently-movable operating means for each engaging means; a lever for each operating means; means for permitting access to the levers only when they are in the neutral position and a single actuating device movable into operative engagement with one lever only at a time.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE EATON.

Witnesses CHARLES E. MANN, J12, BERTHA K. VVALTER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

7 Washington, D. C.

Qil 

